brickhistory

If they stick to the timeline in the article and actually have a autonomous passenger aircraft next summer, then that's where my bet would be. If you mean airliner; the latter, which I assume was your point. Mine is that this is happening and Moore's law is applicable.

https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2017-02-13/up-up-and-away-passenger-carrying-drone-to-fly-in-dubai To my flying friends, I wish you nothing but success in capitalizing on your training and skills. I think you are naïve if you don't think that every day very large, very rich interests are working diligently to replace you. Egged by the airlines who would like nothing better than to cut one of two of their biggest operating costs - labor (the other being fuel) - and pay the Bombay guy to run the LAS - ORD routing. Dispatchers becoming operational C2 is happening and there are far fewer of them to pay. DoD isn't just interested in this in order to not put a guy in harm's way. Cutting the payroll always is an attractive thing to staff warriors. Sure the link may be nothing but a stunt and as funny as Achmed facing a face full of sand milli-seconds prior to impact when HAL 9000 decides to reboot will be, it all starts somewhere.

Dear President Trump, It's now been three weeks and one day since you took your Oath of Office. I don't mean to be unkind, but we all expected you to have solved everything, everywhere by now. I mean your predecessor had already issued his first executive order to close Gitmo and would soon abandon the agreed-upon at some risk to themselves missile defense systems in the Czech Republic and Poland at the behest of Russian demands. Speaking of dang foreigners, you replacing the bust of Winston Churchill in the Oval Office during your first week in direct contrast to the last guy who removed that thing in the same time frame absolutely merits the Speaker of the British Parliament not wanting you to speak there. I mean, really, recognizing in a very public way "the special relationship" in direct opposition to the way that relationship was immediately telegraphed in 2009 is the height of ill manners. Your, perhaps, negotiating ploy of not calling the Russian president a psychotic publically would seem weak sauce compared to being caught on open mic with his creature Medvedev and "having more room to maneuver" in order to appease Putin. I am truly surprised you haven't sent your Secretary of State over with the whited-out reset (translated incorrectly) button. The guy's been sworn in for nearly a week. Time's awastin' it would seem to most of us. Please don't even think of establishing any red lines anywhere either. And while your predecessor had already made his plans for the first of his 'round the world apology tours denigrating the idea of American Exceptionalism and been brushing up on his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech for not being GWB, you seem to be fixated on trying, however inartfully, to follow through on some of your campaign promises. And please don't even think of resurrecting that Monroe Doctrine also publicly repudiated. Everyone gets to interfere now, right? Except you and America. You and she should lie back and think of England... I mean really, is stopping the flow of unvetted refugees from failed nation-states that have a history of trying to kill 'Muricans really something you should be bothering with now especially since the last guy did the exact same thing and for a longer period of time? Lena Dunham and Madonna have called you out. I respectfully recommend you "Giddy-up" on burnishing your talk show appearances and not waste your time or my tax dollars on cheaper F-35s, defunding locales that refuse to follow federal law, or such nonsense. You might upset some folks and that's not acceptable.

Good analogy. To continue it; the rich, oblivious families living in both wings of the house have ignored the spreading black mold in the walls. So much so, that the spores are causing sickness among the help - those that maintain the house and the grounds. Property values with the neighbors are declining because of the problems. Direct sunlight, perhaps even controlled burns, are often times good solutions.

Which is why I am enjoying the consternation being wrought on both sides of the aisle by the current occupant of the White House. I hope he shakes things up, shuts things down, and causes people to be fired and defeated at election time. (R) and (D).

*cough* Ben Rhodes *cough**cough*

Quals: - American citizen - seen a few Administrations - able to read/write/draw my own conclusions about politics, the political establishment, and recognize hypocrisy of whatever political bent. - sadly, the only pilot quals are all too seldom used FAA-issued PPL from some decades ago. Never much of a Heath Ledger/dark Batman genre. And I'd go with this for me over characterization. Since 'facts' are important to you, perhaps you can stick with those in your arguments versus personal attacks. I can play that and am not too shabby at it, but then we become liberals if we stay on that path. I do have standards after all. edited to remove superfluous personal achievement stuff.

It's curious how the past Administration received, largely, a pass here at Baseops due mainly to the auto-racisim charge that was leveled at dissent. Now that there's a white boy with a bad combover in the seat, it's game on. I am absolutely digging the amount of consternation and gnashing of teeth that this administration is causing on both sides of the political aisle. There have been comments in this thread about how even the GOP greybeards are aghast at Trump & Co. and their nascent methods of governing. The first, obvious question is "How well did those greybeards work out and improve our position at home and abroad?" Oxen are being gored and I am pleased.

If only the leaders during WWII had known what to do and been perfect. Never mind Douhet, Trenchard, et al. Even H.G. Wells. Nope, it was those selfish fighter guys. Who despite having their toys didn't instantly deploy long-range escort from August, 1942 on-ward. Nope, those long-range tanks should've instantly appeared. Remind me who led the fighter escort on the Enola Gay mission? And what was the leadership scheme for Big Blue from the end of WWII until well into Vietnam? And the roster of perfectly suited aircraft we had for the wars in Korea and Vietnam? USN submariners suffered, as a percentage, the greatest number of casualties during that war. I guess even dead guys need to have d1ck-measuring contests... *sorry-ish for being a d1ck in this post - working nights and am cranky. The point is there is always two-sides to history.

Yep, just like David Brooks, Jennifer Rubin, Nicole Wallace, Steve Schmidt, et al. "Highly respected" and "conservative" are not adjectives I would ascribe to Frum or the rest. They, collectively, remind of this guy: as they seek to curry favor with the MSM machine. As to your point of "carrying on Obama's policies," it appears you miss the point. When Barry did it, it never raised the slightest hackle for eight loooooong years. If Trump does it and only after three weeks, it is the End Times. Firing a disobedient acting AG? A dictator. Firing a four-star general who was quoted from off the record conversations and it's ensuring civilian control of the military. Must be nice...

Jeezuzzz, it's been two (2) weeks since the guy was sworn in. His staff isn't even in place yet via the Senate. And he's already undone some things that were done by his predecessor.* Not to mention the near open revolt of supposedly apolitical civil servants at State and EPA. I'm not happy with the GOP and the reported** backpedaling on immediate repeal of Obamacare, etc., but Jesus who was not an immigrant despite what the Rev Sharpton claims, it's been all of two weeks... * The attention whore can't help but try to stay in the spotlight. Instead of staying quiet like the tradition of ex-President's are supposed to be - nobody wants the peanut gallery complaining during their time, so they haven't done it - mostly - to the replacement guy. But this guy takes the narcissistic cake. Just f'in' go away already... **I LOVED the immediate firing of the acting AG yesterday.

That'd be a crazy Austrian. But I quibble...

Political leaders using the military as an instrument for political purposes on the world stage. Huh, who'da thought? Wasn't there some crazy German who wrote a long time ago something about war and politics?

Maybe pertinent to this idea. https://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2017/01/20/donald_trump_has_a_coherent_radical_foreign_policy_doctrine_112180.html

THAT is funny, I don't care who you are.

I think we are agreed that reading is fundamental and implying that I hadn't read the article isn't. If the transition team wanted to keep him on, but Big Green was pushing him out the door, who exactly is the action figure in this scenario? And if we get "it's all Trump's fault" on these forums (liberal or not, I don't know), just imagine what the wider world is going to say - at least 1/2 anyway and that percentage of unhappy campers contains most of the media so the effect will only be magnified. - to BFM - Yep, that's the one, thanks. edited to add: The Commander of the DC Guard, appointed by the President, traditionally offers his resignation to each new Commander in Chief who decides to decline or accept the resignation. This particular commander was appointed by George W. Bush in 2008. Thus he has been in the same position for eight years. The Trump team offered to keep the MG through January 20 with his retirement effective 21 January. The MG refused and decided to voluntarily leave effective 1201 EST, 20 Jan 17. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/01/fake-news-wapo-not-tell-whole-story-dc-national-guard-chiefs-resignation-video/ Nope, it's gotta be Trump's fault...

According to his Nat'l Guard GO bio: He entered service in 1979, so he is waaaay beyond the 35 year total military service law (unless waived by Congress as in Rickover); probably his Guard time played with that calculation. The TAG of the DC Guard, unlike states' Guard which are appointed by the respective governor, is appointed by the President of the United States who is currently, and was when this order was given, Barack H. Obama. The MG is also 65, again a mandatory military retirement age unless waived by Congressional action. Nope, it's Trump's fault. We're gonna see a lot of that, I reckon. There was a good column (forget the venue and writer) on how everything for the past eight years was Bush's fault, and from here on out everything is Trump's fault. It's as though the last Administration didn't exist. Sure must be nice...

Hmmm, Trump isn't in office yet and his SecDef isn't either yet he gets blamed for an action taken recently under the current Administration. THAT, my friends, is power.

Soooo, Germans (assuming here based on the accents) like big schwanzes. Or maybe they were Russkis. Good to know. Watch out Poland!

The Air Force District of Washington (AFDW) commander, a two-star, issued GO #1 ordering that USAF military assigned/attached/OPCON to him were forbidden to drink during the 48 hours prior to and after the coming inauguration. Department of Air Force civilians were "highly encouraged" to follow GO#1. His rationale was members need to be ready. WTF? As small potatoes as this is in the entire DC scheme of things, it is another brick in the load of "Screw this, I'm out" that Big Blue seems to not understand. For me as an old retired fart, this has either domestic disturbance implications or a Maj Gen who needs his sails trimmed. There is an entire thread on this. F-22 - 189 minus the ones lost thus far, ain't enough.

- Status of repealing Obamacare? - Status of introduced 50-state reciprocity bill and likelihood of both Houses passing? - BAH shenanigans (see the thread and get McCain to an old folks home) - Re-opening F-22 line? - Chances of getting the budget anywhere controlled? -edited to add - how about a lil friendly Congressional enquiry to the AFDW/CC regarding his General Order #1? That seems both ludicrous and has overtones that are scary.

Anonymous calls to various left- and right-wing news outlets seems to be in order. Each would love to go to town on the implications for such an order for an inauguration. I'd also be calling my Congress critters.

Someone in the chain can't read United States Code, i.e., DOPMA. Twice passed over = out unless offered continuation. It may take a while and will screw those affected in the short-term, but the class action suit that will result should net them a nice piece of change. Not enough to make up for not building seniority or whatever sh1t sandwich they are handed for those three years, but it will come. I'd also be calling the sh1t out of my Congressional critters and DoD IG. IF I wasn't promoted, twice, then the law states I must be separated unless you offer and I accept continuation. Key word is accept. Lots of lawyers around who like and know how to stick to The Man since it pays them handsomely to do so.

Sooo, I got whisky and books. Guess my family has figured me out.